Western Bulldogs great Tony Liberatore has admitted he assaulted an election worker ahead of the 2022 Victorian election after she told him he was too late to vote.
Liberatore, who played 283 games over a 16-year AFL career, appeared remotely before the Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
He was beamed into the court on video link from his car, with his lawyer explaining Liberatore had been discharged from hospital only hours earlier after surgery on a broken ankle.
The court was told both the police prosecutor and defence agreed the case was suitable for diversion, which allows a first-time or low-level offender to avoid a criminal conviction.
The 57-year-old grandfather admitted he twice pushed a pre-poll election worker over shortly after 6pm on November 25, 2022.
He had attended the Essendon booth to early vote but was told he’d missed the cut-off by five minutes and would have to come back another day, according to a summary of the offending.
The court was told the election worker allowed him to vote to “de-escalate” the situation but informed Liberatore she would call police.
During an interview, Liberatore told police he had “moved around the woman”.
“I’m standing in line and she’s walked over her with her accent and said no,” he said.
The victim was unhurt and agreed with Liberatore being placed on diversion, the court was told.
But 10 months later, Liberatore’s lawyer said his client’s position was “simply that this is a regrettable situation, it didn’t need to happen”.
He told the court the offending was “out of character” and his client did not have a past criminal record.
Liberatore, he said, had found the “greatest joy” in football and had a long and storeyed career as a player, coach and advocate.
Magistrate Robert Kumar agreed to place the Bulldogs life member on diversion, ordering him to be of good behaviour for three months and pay $1000 to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.
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